Credit monitoring company Equifax has announced one of the largest data breaches, the company has revealed that data of more than 143 million US consumers has been compromised. The hack took place between May and July of this year and Equifax has now revealed what information has been taken.
Social Security numbers, dates of birth, address information and also drivers license details for some customers has been taken during the hack. The majority of the data was taken from US consumers, although some consumers in the UK and Canada are also affected.
Equifax has revealed that the credit card numbers of 209,000 US consumers, plus some dispute documents with personal information from 182,000 US consumers was also taken during the breach. The company has said that it first discovered the hack on the 29th of July and have been working with an independent cyber security company. They have also reported the incident to law enforcement.
“This is clearly a disappointing event for our company, and one that strikes at the heart of who we are and what we do. I apologize to consumers and our business customers for the concern and frustration this causes,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard F. Smith. “We pride ourselves on being a leader in managing and protecting data, and we are conducting a thorough review of our overall security operations. We also are focused on consumer protection and have developed a comprehensive portfolio of services to support all U.S. consumers, regardless of whether they were impacted by this incident.”
If you think you may be affected by the hack, you can check this on a new website that Equifax has set up. You can also contact the company by telephone. You can find out more information on what you need to do over at Equifax at the link below.
Source Equifax